In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to "John Rago & Sons Memorial
Chapel" (check or money order) mailed to above address to help defray
memorial & burial costs. Thank You.

Please check back on our website to see if any of
this information has changed.

For more information see http://www.wesleywillis.org

08/22/03: Rock Star Wesley Willis Dead at 40

Dear Friends and fellow Wesleynauts,
We are deeply saddened to report that one of our artists, Wesley Willis passed away yesterday, Thursday, August 21st. Wesley will be greatly missed by all that had the privilege to know him, as well as the fans who have been fortunate enough to experience his genius.

Wesley was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) at the end of 2002, and had to undergo emergency surgery on June 2nd to identify the source of, and to suppress internal bleeding. It is not clear if this bleeding was related to his leukemia or not, and the exact cause of death is still unknown. Wesley had been recovering at a Hospice in Illinois, and since the surgery his health had deteriorated rapidly.

His songs were simultaneously disturbing, hilarious, blunt, and intoxicating. Wesley's sheer excitement and unaffected honesty about every cultural phenomenon, defined his music as truly individual, and truly punk rock.

Wesley released well over 50 albums - 3 of which are on Alternative Tentacles, and a 4th, entitled, Wesley Willis Greatest Hits Vol. 3 (CD) had already been scheduled for release in October of this year.

Currently there are no plans for any funeral service but we will inform you if there will be.

For more information on Wesley Willis, please see:
http://www.alternativetentacles.com/bandinfo.php?band=wesleywillis

08/19/03: Independent Record Stores Sue Best Buy

Indie Retailers Sue Best Buy

By Ed Christman

NEW YORK (Billboard) - A group of independent music retailers has filed a class-action lawsuit against Best Buy Co. Inc., alleging that the chain violates U.S. antitrust laws, as well as California state laws, that govern loss-leader selling, the strategy of pricing product below cost.

In the lawsuit -- filed Aug. 6 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division -- the plaintiffs charge that Best Buy uses its clout to receive benefits from the major labels that are not generally available to the chain's competitors. The plaintiffs in the case are Mad Rhino, Boo Boo Records, Lou's Records, Dimple Records and Rand Foster of Fingerprints.

The lawsuit says Best Buy is "able to extract from the major record companies an additional 10% discount vis-a-vis other purchasers" and receives advertising and other allowances not generally granted to other merchants. According to the complaint, these favorable prices, terms and conditions allow Best Buy to sell new albums as loss leaders, diverting massive amounts of business away from its competitors.

The complaint alleges that Best Buy has knowingly received favorable and discriminatory prices on new albums, a practice that violates the Robinson-Patman Act. Also, the complaint says that Best Buy's below-cost pricing is a way of injuring competitors or destroying competition, in violation of the California Business and Professions Code. California has a state law that merchants must price product at least 6% above cost.

The lawsuit asks for treble damages and legal fees.

Best Buy executives were unavailable for comment.

Reuters/Billboard

08/15/03: Power Outage Traced to Dim Bulb in White House

The Tale of The Brits Who Swiped 800 Jobs From New York, Carted Off $90
Million, Then Tonight, Turned Off Our Lights

Friday, August 15, 2003
by Greg Palast

I can tell you all about the ne're-do-wells that put out our lights
tonight. I came up against these characters -- the Niagara Mohawk Power
Company -- some years back. You see, before I was a journalist, I worked
for a living, as an investigator of corporate racketeers. In the 1980s,
"NiMo" built a nuclear plant, Nine Mile Point, a brutally costly piece of
hot junk for which NiMo and its partner companies charged billions to New
York State's electricity ratepayers.

To pull off this grand theft by kilowatt, the NiMo-led consortium
fabricated cost and schedule reports, then performed a Harry Potter job on
the account books. In 1988, I showed a jury a memo from an executive from
one partner, Long Island Lighting, giving a lesson to a NiMo honcho on how
to lie to government regulators. The jury ordered LILCO to pay $4.3 billion
and, ultimately, put them out of business.

08/01/03: TSOL Vocalist Running For Governor of CA
SANTA MONICA, California - A singer perhaps best known for a song called
"Abolish Government" is now hoping to join it.

Jack Grisham, frontman for the veteran punk group T.S.O.L., announced to
MTV News on Wednesday (July 30) that he is running for governor of California
in the controversial October 7 recall election to unseat incumbent Democrat
Gray Davis.

"I can't afford heath insurance, so I figure if I'm governor, at least they
have a good health insurance plan," Grisham joked. The charming singer made
light of his first interview as a politician, but insisted his campaign
is entirely serious.

"For years I was always, 'F--- the government. F--- the government. F---
the government.' I was always bitching and not doing a thing about it,"
he explained. "And the other day I said, 'Now I am.' I just got tired of
seeing people hurt, that was the biggest thing. I got three sisters who
are teachers, two brothers who are police officers, a bunch of friends who
are labor workers, dock workers. I work with undocumented alien immigrants
all the time and I got tired seeing what they go through and no one caring.
And they put this new budget out and the first thing they slash is health
care and the first thing they start screwing is the people."

Grisham, who works labor jobs when not touring, will make heath-care reform
the center of his platform. Recently, the singer himself was denied health
care because his income was just more than the qualifying limit. "I said
to the lady, 'So if I quit my job and left my wife and kids, you could fix
my back?' " Grisham said. "And she said, 'Yes.' "

As for the state's budget crisis, Grisham said he would hire top accountants
to come up with solutions. "It's like being a producer, you get the best
people around you to take care of business," he said.

On other issues, Grisham is for legalizing and taxing both marijuana and
prostitution, and supports full amnesty for undocumented aliens.

"Another big part of my platform is volunteerism, getting the community
involved," he said. "People are just taking and giving nothing in return."

Grisham believes California is ready for an everyday guy, "someone who wears
sandals with his sport coat" (as he did Wednesday), to be governor.

"The average California citizen is not riding around in a limousine," he
said. "A lot of these [other candidates] want to talk about drug abuse and
alcohol abuse and all that, but they've never seen it. You have no idea
what these people experience until you've experienced it. Since the end
of 1988, I've lost 80-something friends to drugs and alcohol abuse. I've
been arrested. When was the last time a politician spent the night in jail?
All jails create are more animals."

Grisham, who will run as an independent ("No one will take me," he joked),
decided to join the unprecedented gubernatorial race only a few days ago,
after friends made the suggestion. "Someone called me and said, 'Have you
ever been convicted of a felony?' And I said, 'Well, never convicted,' "
Grisham recalled. "And they said, 'Well, we want you to run for governor.'
So I said, 'I'm in.' "

T.S.O.L. (True Sounds of Liberty), who formed in Huntington Beach, California,
in 1978, were an influence on many other California punk bands forming at
the time, including Bad Religion, the Dead Kennedys and Social Distortion.

Grisham left the band in the mid-'80s, but rejoined in 1999 and recorded
2001's Disappear with the original lineup. T.S.O.L.'s next album, Divided
We Stand, is due September 9, however Grisham refused to talk about the
project.

"The fact that I play music has nothing to do with this," he said. "I'm
willing to give that all up to take this job. This really matters, it's
not a joke."

Another entertainer, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has hinted he might run as well,
but a Republican Party spokesperson said Wednesday that he will not.

Davis, who was re-elected governor a year ago, has been blamed for California's
$38 billion deficit and accused of being indecisive during the energy crisis.
Earlier this summer, Republicans gathered the required number of signatures
? 12 percent of the total number of voters in the previous gubernatorial
election, in this case, 897,158 ? for a recall, the first in the U.S. since
the governor of North Dakota was removed in 1921.

To get onto the recall ballot, a candidate needs only 65 signatures and
a $3,500 filing fee. Because so many names will be on the ballot and the
length of the campaign period is so short, less traditional candidates have
a better chance in a recall than in a normal gubernatorial election.

This report is provided by MTV News

07/30/03: 'Weapons of Mass Distraction' Ad Gets OK

Wed Jul 30,11:05 AM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - An advertisement for budget airline EasyJet featuring a picture of a woman's breasts in a bikini top with a headline "Discover weapons of mass distraction" was not offensive, Britain's advertising watchdog said Wednesday.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it had received 186 complaints about the advert from some who said the it was demeaning to women and from others who said it trivialized the war in Iraq.

One of the reasons Britain used to justify taking military action was Iraq's development of weapons of mass destruction.

Easyjet denied the ad was sexist and said it was one of a series of "topical, humorous and irreverent" ads.

The ASA agreed that, although the headline was distasteful, the ad was light-hearted and unlikely to cause any serious or widespread offense.

07/29/03: Sean Paul Charged With Using Profanity

Jul 29, 1:38 PM (ET)
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (AP) - Jamaican rapper Sean Paul has been charged with using profanity during a performance at Montego Bay's Reggae Sumfest last week.
Paul's performance Thursday night was laced with expletives, police commander Newton Amos said Monday. Authorities served him with a summons under a law prohibiting people from using profanity in public.
He's scheduled to appear in court Wednesday in Montego Bay, police said. Paul was not immediately available for comment.
The rapper, whose hits "Get Busy" and "Like Glue" are in the top 20 of the Billboard singles chart, was served with the summons shortly after he left the stage, police said. The maximum fine is $20 or community service.
At last year's music festival, rappers Ja Rule and Snoop Dogg were summoned to appear in court for similar offenses, but they ignored the orders and left the island shortly after their performances.
In 2001, eight Jamaican musicians, including Grammy winner Beenie Man, were summoned to court for using profanity during their performances.

07/17/03: Wesley Willis Still Ill

Dear Friends and fellow Wesleynauts -

Wesley Willis is still in the hospital and will be there for some time. He was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) in December 2002. If you are into it, now might be a good time to send him some love and encouragement. It can be a card, letter, poem, drawing or whatever. If you are in a band, he always likes checking out your CDs. Get well goodies can be sent to :
Wesley Willis
P.O. Box 7449
Prospect Heights, IL
60070-7449

OAKLAND, Calif. - The city of Oakland has agreed to pay $2 million to settle a case arising from the disputed arrest of two environmental activists, who jurors ruled were wrongly accused by police as "eco-terrorists" when their car exploded in 1990.

The City Council decided not to appeal the case and agreed Tuesday to settle as a business decision after its attorneys fees in the 12-year-old case topped $4 million.

"What we analyzed was looking at a settlement in hand versus an unknown future," said Karen Boyd, a spokeswoman for the Oakland city attorney's office.

Earth First! activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney were arrested in May 1990 after a bomb exploded in their Subaru while they were driving in Oakland. Both Bari and Cherney were hurt in the explosion. Bari, who was at the wheel, suffered a crushed pelvis.

Investigators contended that the pair, who were at the time organizing a series of protests against the logging of old-growth forests, were carrying the bomb for some act of environmental sabotage.

But the case fell apart weeks later when prosecutors said there wasn't sufficient evidence to bring charges.

Last year, jurors found that Oakland police and FBI agents wrongly blamed the pair for the explosion in an effort to silence their environmental activism. In the federal suit, Darryl and the estate of Bari, who died of cancer in 1997, won a total of $4.4 million - $2 million from the city of Oakland and $2.4 million from the federal government.

The settlement comes two months after the Oakland City Council declared May 24 "Judi Bari Day" to honor the late activist.

07/01/03: EFF Launches "Let the Music Play" Campaign Electronic Frontier Foundation Launches "Let the Music Play" Campaign
Urges 60 Million Music Lovers in U.S. to Demand Legal Rights

San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) on
Monday, June 30, launched a "Let the Music Play" campaign urging
the more than 60 million U.S. citizens who use file-sharing
software to demand changes in copyright law to get artists paid
and make file-sharing legal.

The EFF Let the Music Play campaign counters the Recording
Industry Association of America's (RIAA) announcement that it
will file thousands of lawsuits against individuals who use file-
sharing software like Kazaa, Grokster, and Morpheus.

"Copyright law is out of step with the views of the American
public and the reality of music distribution online," said EFF
Executive Director Shari Steele. "Rather than trying to sue
people into submission, we need to find a better alternative that gets artists paid while making file sharing legal."

EFF's Let the Music Play campaign provides alternatives to the
RIAA's litigation barrage, details EFF's efforts to defend peer-
to-peer file sharing, and makes it easy for individuals to write
members of Congress. EFF will also place advertisements about the Right to Share campaign in magazines such as Spin, Blender,
Computer Gaming World, and PC Gamer.

"Today, more U.S. citizens use file-sharing software than voted
for President Bush," said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Fred von
Lohmann. "Congress needs to spend less time listening to record
industry lobbyists and more time listening to the more than 60
million Americans who use file-sharing software today."

According to online media analyst Big Champagne, more than 60
million Americans are using file-sharing software.

For this release:
http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/20030630_eff_pr.php

06/18/03: World Land Speed Record Broken in New Mexico
from:
http://globeandmail.workopolis.com/servlet/Content/exn/20030502/exn-rogers?section=exn

A rocket-powered sled that can reach speeds of approximately 10,300 km/h has broken the world land speed record.

The un-piloted monorail sled reached Mach 8.6 - about nine times the speed of sound - beating the previous record of Mach 8 (9,852 km/h) set in 1982.

Both records were broken at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.

Travelling down a 5 km straightway, the vehicle reached its target in around 6 seconds. Because of the sheer speed of the sled, observers heard only silence until a split second before it reached the end of the track.

"There were a lot of high-fives, hugs, handshakes all around," said Lt. Col. James Jolliffe, Commander of the 846th Test Squadron. "My hat's off to all the people that made it happen."

06/16/03: Musicians Labeled 'TRAITOR'

lifted from www.dotmusic.com/news/May2003/news29452.asp -

A number of stars including Madonna, Eddie Vedder, Dixie Chicks and Fred Durst have been singled out as "traitors" by right-wing website probush.com.

The site follows in the wake of widespread U.S. media coverage of a commercially available deck of cards depicting figures that have been outspoken in their criticism of the current American administration, called 'Deck of Weasels'.

The site also names Sheryl Crow, Barbara Streisand, Rage Against The Machine's Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello, Mos Def, Ani Di Franco, Michael Franti and a host of other musicians, writers and public figures.

Both the probush website and the 'Deck of Weasels' use the legal disclaimer that they are satirical, though the website reads: "Parody. Not to be taken seriously. These "traitors" are not legal "traitors" of the United States. Though we wish they were."

Speaking to daveyd.com, Iriscience of the hip hop act Dilated Peoples and one of the artists named by the site said: "Things like this are ridiculous and irresponsible especially in today's political and social climate where a handful of powerful people are trying to squash dissent.

"Most of the people on this list had an anti-war stance not an anti-American stance. It's ridiculous to equate anti-war sentiments with being Anti-American.

"What's ironic is the fact that I'm out here trying to promote peace and end violence so you would think I and others would have a bigger platform to speak out. Unfortunately, we have people trying to silence and ridicule us for promoting peace."

06/04/03: Beer ice cream goes on sale
from the BBCThe distinctive taste of Newcastle Brown Ale has become the latest ice cream flavour from a family-run Northumberland dairy

Newcastle Brown Ale flavoured ice cream was launched on Tuesday by Doddington Dairies, and will only be available during the summer months.

The makers say the handmade ice cream reflects the region's identity, and was even handed out to the European Capital of Culture 2008 judges on their last visit.

Newcastle Brown Ale has already been used as an ingredient in locally produced products, such as bread.

Famous brand

Although the ice cream is made using the ale, under licence from brewers Scottish and Newcastle, the cooking process means it contains less than 1% alcohol.

Jackie Maxwell, director of Doddington Dairy said: "We were looking for an ice cream flavour that was distinctive, and had a strong identity with the region.

"Newcastle Brown Ale has all of that.

"It has been a fantastic challenge working on a product like this, with one of the world's most famous brands.

"Every part of the process has been great for us - from the design of the cartons, through to testing the ale syrup for just the right flavour.

The Newcastle Brown Ale ice cream goes on sale at supermarkets and speciality shops across Newcastle and Northumberland from next week.

06/03/03: Wesley Willis Undergoes Emergency Surgery

Wesley Willis, Alternative Tentacle's Rock Star, had to undergo emergency surgery on June 2nd at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Illinois to identify the source of, and to suppress internal bleeding.

On Sunday, June 1st, Wesley was at a physical therapy appointment when he started bleeding. He was rushed back to the hospital where doctors tried to determine the source of his bleeding. Despite exhaustive attempts to locate the source of his bleeding via non-intrusive methods, doctors decided that they had to operate. So, on Monday, June 2nd, at around 1pm CST, Wesley was in surgery for 6 1/2 hours. They were able to locate the source of the bleeding and suppress it. Tissue has been sent off for tests to see if his leukemia has spread to other regions.

Wesley Willis, who has released over 50 albums - 3 of which on Alternative Tentacles - was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) at the end of 2002. It is not clear if this bleeding was related to his leukemia. This form of leukemia is treatable. Wesley has been undergoing care for his leukemia, and his doctors are very hopeful that the treatment will be successful. Prior to this incident, he has responded well to treatments. But this will be an ongoing battle. Wesley is clearly not out of the woods yet.

For more information on this type of leukemia, you can visit http://leukemia-lymphoma.org and we will have updates of his condition on our website.

All touring plans for the rest of the year have been cancelled.

Wesley celebrated his 40th Birthday on Saturday, May 31st.

Well-wishers are encouraged to send Get Well cards to Wesley care of the following address :